Archive for category Uncategorized
Earliest Case of West Nile Detected in Pennsylvania
Posted by janegwalker in CDC, Mosquito barrier spray, Mosquito Control, Mosquito Squad, Mosquito-Borne Illnesses & Diseases, Uncategorized, West Nile encephaltis and meningitis, West Nile Virus on May 17, 2012
The state of Pennsylvania recently reported that on May 3rd, it detected its first West Nile virus-carrying mosquito. The state started testing mosquitoes in 2000 and this year brought its earliest detection ever.
According to the Business Journals, “typically, the state’s first West Nile Virus-carrying mosquito is found in mid-June.” Adds the Department of Environmental Protect Secretary Mike Krancer “the unseasonably warm weather in March caused the virus cycle to begin early this year…our staff will continue to monitor mosquito populations and conduct spraying to reduce the threat to public health.”
Last year, the first West Nile Virus-carrying mosquito was found on May 17, 2011. From there it was found in 59 counties and six human infections were confirmed.
The West Nile Virus can cause fever and other flu-like symptoms
West Nile Virus is transmitted to humans via mosquito bites. It’s been reported that 100s of cases are diagnosed every year and according to the CDC, it’s estimated that 300,000 Americans have been ill due to West Nile Virus since it arrived in the United States 11 years ago. Symptoms, including high fever, headache, body aches and nausea, usually appear between 3 and 14 days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Serious cases can lead to encephalitis or meningitis. Diagnosis is usually based on symptoms and if the virus is known to be present in the area. Older adults are more likely to become ill when infected with West Nile Virus.
There is no specific treatment for West Nile. Instead, the exhibited symptoms are treated. Unfortunately, there isn’t a vaccine to protect against West Nile in humans and domestic pets (there is one for horses). The best way to prevent infection is to prevent mosquito bites. At Mosquito Squad, we do that through our 5Ts of mosquito control.
The mosquito is the culprit of many insect -borne illnesses and diseases and survived the ice age
Tip – Tip over small objects in your yard that hold standing water, including dog dishes and children’s toys. Mosquitoes breed in standing water; cutting down on the breeding grounds will reduce the number of mosquitoes in your yard.
Toss – toss out excess grass, leaves and firewood from yards.
Turnover – Turn over larger items like bird baths and planter saucers periodically.
Remove Tarps – When tarps aren’t pulled tightly, they leave areas for small puddles where mosquitoes can breed.
Treat Accordingly – Getting rid of standing water won’t get rid of all the mosquitoes around your property. A mosquito control spray will protect your yard against mosquitoes for 21-days.
At Mosquito Squad, we are happy to help family enjoy their backyards without the threat of West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases. If you are interested in how mosquito control can help you, please visit us online at MosquitoSquad.com or call your local Mosquito Squad office.
Don’t let mosquitoes ruin your special day
Posted by janegwalker in Mosquito Control, Mosquito Squad, Outdoor Events, Uncategorized on May 2, 2012
Last year I married my fantastic husband in South Carolina. I’m glad it didn’t end up like this:
It doesn’t look huge here, but this was a welt of a mosquito bite!
People spend thousands of dollars to celebrate their big day, but unfortunately mosquito control is often overlooked in planning. Knowing that South Carolina can have some bugs, I made sure that our wedding ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner venues were protected against mosquitoes as they all had outdoor spaces, but I found out the hard way the location of our pictures was not. Right after the ceremony, our wedding party, my husband and I went to a beautiful road to take pictures underneath 100+ year old oak trees. Not five minutes in, I had a huge mosquito bite on the back of my arm (and I got a few more throughout the posing process). Needless to say, we took pictures pretty quickly to get out of there. As annoyed as I was to have a few itchy bites, I was thrilled that our guests didn’t have that problem.
Mosquitoes can do a lot of damage for something so small and on a day you want everything to be flawless, you don’t want to worry about them. Mosquito Squad’s special events spray was created to make your outdoor events as perfect as you’ve always imagined. Our applicators come out prior to your event to keep the unwanted guests from crashing your big day. Visit us at online to find out more information about our mosquito control services.
Mosquito Squad Joins Malaria No More to Draw Attention to Malaria Epidemic Through World Malaria Day on April 25, 2012
Posted by janegwalker in Buy at $10 net to save a life, end Malaria deaths, end Malaria in Africa, Malaria, Malaria No More, Uncategorized on April 24, 2012
Dread Skeeter from Mosquito Squad helping Malaria No More
Tomorrow is the fifth annual World Malaria Day and this year’s theme is simple: “Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria.” To help do our part, Mosquito Squad continues to support Malaria No More in its goal of reaching near zero deaths in Africa by 2015. In fact, we recently committed more than $50,000 to help fight this treatable and preventable disease. If you want to help us in our fight against malaria, donate at SwatMalaria.net on World Malaria Day!
Established by the World Health Assembly, World Malaria Day was started in 2007 to provide “education and understanding of malaria.” Its first theme was “Malaria – a disease without borders.” Although malaria is heavily concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, it, at times, reached epidemic levels in many parts of the world, including Europe and North America.
In honor of World Malaria Day, here are some facts about the disease that you may not know:
- The world malaria comes from the Italian words for “bad air” because the disease was first thought to be a result of bad swamp air.
- It is the world’s deadliest disease, killing over 650,000 people a year, most of which are children
- Some Egyptian mummies show signs of malaria
- Aristotle, Homer and Hippocrates all described the symptoms of malaria in their works
- Shakespeare alludes to malaria in eight of his plays
- In Europe, it spread as far north as Russia
- The Incas were the first to find relief from malaria using bark from the cinchona tree
- George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant all suffered from the disease
- British physician Ronald Ross was the first to discover that malaria was carried by the mosquito in 1897
- The US Center for Disease control was initially set up with the mission to control the spread of malaria
- Malaria was eradicated in the US in the 1950s
- Malaria mosquitoes need to drink blood every three days
- Symptoms of the disease usually appear 10-15 days after a person is infected
World Malaria Day is a day to spread awareness of the disease as well as a day to take action. A donation of just $10 to Malaria No More can help protect a mother and three small children against this terrible illness. To give now, visit SwatMalaria.net.
Researchers Find Key Factors to Fighting the Dengue Virus
Posted by janegwalker in Dengue Fever, Uncategorized on April 12, 2012
Recent research by University of North Carolina and Vanderbilt University professors have brought the medical world one step closer to creating a vaccine to prevent Dengue Fever.
Although it is believed that humans have been fighting the dengue virus for hundreds of years, it wasn’t documented until the 1950s when it reached epidemic levels in the Philippines and Thailand. Sixty years later and it is estimated that 40% of the world’s population is at risk of dengue. Almost all the cases that were diagnosed in the United States had been contracted elsewhere while traveling. Contact between the mosquitoes that carry dengue is very uncommon in the U.S.
Mosquitoes can be dangerous when carrying certain illnesses like Dengue Fever
The dengue virus is transmitted through the bites of several types of mosquitoes under the genus Aedes which primarily live in tropical and subtropical environments. Symptoms of dengue can start 4-7 days after infection and include fever, headache, muscle and joint pain and rashes. In a small number of cases, the fever can reach a critical phase. There are four closely related strands of the virus and severe cases are more common when a person is infected with two different strands of dengue.
Until now, how the human immune system fights the dengue virus has always been somewhat of a mystery because tests had only been conducted with mice. For this study, Aravinda M. de Silva, PHD. Of UNC School of Medicine, was able to study blood cells from people that were infected with dengue while traveling abroad. De Silva and her team were able to locate what part of the virus the immune system attacked.
“’This is a huge issue for vaccine development,’ said lead study author Ruklanthi de Alwis, a graduate student in de Silva’s lab. ‘We have to figure out a way to develop dengue vaccines that induce the good response that protects against infection, at the same time avoiding the bad response that enhances disease.’” – source.
With nearly half of the world’s population at risk of contracting this vector-borne disease, it’s great news to see a better understanding of how the virus works in the human body and how our immune systems respond. Until then it is important for residents to decrease the probability of being bitten by a mosquito buy getting rid of breeding sites and proper use of mosquito control.
More information on this study will be published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Helping Minimize Malaria Deaths in Africa – You can help
Posted by janegwalker in Buy at $10 net to save a life, end Malaria deaths, end Malaria in Africa, Malaria, Malaria No More, Uncategorized on March 29, 2012
Dread Skeeter from Mosquito Squad helping Malaria No More
A few years ago, Mosquito Squad joined Malaria No More in its goal toward near zero malaria deaths in in Africa by 2015 and we are happy to continue our support.
Malaria is rampant in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, killing a child nearly every minute, yet it is both preventable and treatable. Malaria No More helps fight the growth of malaria by helping to provide protective bed nets at $10 apiece.
At Mosquito Squad, we have committed more than $50,000 to the effort and encourage our nearly 100 franchisees to provide information and ways to donate to their customers. “We are so fortunate that parents in our country don’t worry about the possibility of their children contracting malaria,” says Scott Zide, president of Outdoor Living Brands, Mosquito Squad’s parent company. “We can’t think of a better organization that fits with our values and our corporate goals of making our world a better, safer place to live, not only in backyards across America but in the villages of Africa as well.”
Take a look at the video below and donate to Malaria No More at SwatMalaria.net.
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